Exactly.
Making a clean break, then providing a clean method for running those legacy applications, *AND* having the two environments interact?? Genius. It allows Classic to remain more or less 'fixed', and it only has to track against the UI interaction hooks. All other Classic development can cease, and has.
MS has a boat anchor around their neck of their own making because they couldn't see a way out. Apple did, and took it.
It's funny, I have apps that run better under Classic than they did under OS9.